


Trick or Treat?

by literati42



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, JT and Malcolm friendship, Malcolm Bright Needs a Hug, Malcolm Bright Whump, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Team Bonding, There needs to be more JT and Malcolm friendship fics, Whumptober 2019
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-29
Updated: 2019-10-29
Packaged: 2021-01-08 01:22:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21227468
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literati42/pseuds/literati42
Summary: JT plans a Halloween prank that gets out of hand, but what doesn't get out of hand when Malcolm Bright is involved?Whumptober 2019 Prompt "Humilitation"





	Trick or Treat?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Huntress8611](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress8611/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Day 25 (temp title)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21179096) by [Huntress8611](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Huntress8611/pseuds/Huntress8611). 

> Hello Prodigies! Another addition to my whumptober 2019 submissions for the prompts by @whumptober2019 on tumblr. 
> 
> Again there just needs to be more JT and Malcolm friendship fics on here!
> 
> I am also accepting requests if anyone is interested! Just comment what you want to see.
> 
> This one specifically was based on the work by Huntress6811, so you should definitely read that as well!
> 
> And as always if you want to talk to me about Prodigal Son, psychology, or general nerd stuff check me out on twitter @themythofpsyche
> 
> Also note: sometimes the terms “crazy” or “headcase” are used in this show to refer to Malcolm, often by JT. It’s used here in that context because of his character BUT please note those terms are pejorative and we really need to move away from saying them as a society

It was Halloween and the officers at the precinct took the trick part of trick or treat very seriously. When JT started there after his return from deployment, it was hard to adjust at first. It was a whole new set of people to learn the habits of and he was so damn tired. Then came his first Halloween in the NYPD, and with it, Dani’s first prank on him.

It was stupid, simple, and it made him feel like part of the family like no act of kindness ever did. He knew she had accepted him. They were family.

With that moment started a tradition. Every Halloween it grew and every Halloween it included more of the officers in the precinct until virtually every officer was involved. So, when deciding what to do for this Halloween, JT had an internal debate over how to handle a certain former FBI profiler.

Malcolm was annoying, disrespectful, difficult, and an honest headcase.

But he was a part of the team. He was new and trying to find his place. JT remembered exactly what that felt like. He remembered the feeling of being included, and as much as sometimes he cursed Gil for bringing this man into their lives, he could not be the one to make him feel excluded. Othered.

So, he planned a prank. He decided to start small. This type of prank would never fly with Dani, but Bright was new. It might be a bit much to come out with his best material right away, so he did something incredibly simple.

It never occurred to him to run his idea by anyone.

Malcolm came into the office, his usual cocky smile on. JT nodded to him, leaning casually on his desk. It was so easy to predict that Malcolm would steal JT’s chair. It was the kind of bratty thing the profiler was always doing, which was exactly why JT put the horn on that one. Malcolm practically threw himself on JT’s chair and the horn sounded instantly. JT was ready for a lot of reactions, but he was not at all ready for the one that occurred.

The profiler’s eyes widened. He was out of the chair, on the floor instantly. He backed himself up to the desk and began gasping in air. The shake had moved from his hand to his whole body. JT had seen the profiler face down gun wielding suspects but could never have expected watching him be reduced nearly to tears by a sound. “Bright, man, it was a prank!” he said, staring. “Just a horn…it was a horn.” JT got down and jerked it off the chair, holding it up as if in defense. Malcolm’s eye swung to him, and he saw him struggling to answer but he could not seem to stop the panicked breathing.

Gil was there almost before JT realized he was out of his office, pulling Malcolm away from everyone. JT took a step to follow and heard Malcolm saying, “It wasn’t his fault…JT…he didn’t mean to. He—it was a prank…”

JT watched the door to Gil’s office shut and block everything else out.

_-_-_

It was after Malcolm went home. After Dani showed up and whacked JT on the back of the head, calling him an “asshole.” It was after everyone else was leaving for the night that Gil finally called JT into his office. The former soldier was expecting it all day. The waiting was the worst part.

JT took a seat in the chair across from the older detective. Gil said nothing, studying him in a way that made JT feel like a kid being sent to the principal’s office. “I didn’t mean to hurt him,” JT said, breaking the silence first.

“I know,” Gil replied, “That’s what he said also.” Gil let out a breath, “And he wasn’t hurt. His ego took a bit of a hit. I’m certain he had no desire to look weak in front of everyone.”

JT cringed slightly. “That wasn’t why…”

Gil motioned that off. “You’re a lot of things, JT, but cruel isn’t one of them. Even if he does annoy you, I know you wouldn’t humiliate him intentionally.”

“He rushes into crime scenes, he fights snakes, he talks down suspects with guns,” JT said, “I thought he was crazy, but I never thought he was…”

“Scared?” Gil said, “He wouldn’t want you to know that.” He sighed, seeming to age in front of JT’s eyes.

JT felt a need to explain himself, to have Gil understand, but he was never one with the words. “Pranking is how the team...” he motioned, trying to get the point across.

“Yes, for you, pranks, surprises, have a good connection,” Gil said, “Bright grew up the son of a serial killer. He went to school with people who knew who he was. Surprises from other people haven’t been as positive an experience for him.”

JT nodded, letting that set in. It made sense. Bright was exactly the kind of kid that got bullied. He was a lot of things, but he was not hard. He had so many soft places, and kids were incredibly good at taking advantage of those. Especially if you were weird. Especially, he would guess, if your father was a notorious monster.

He thought of the way Bright reacted, the same connection that had been rolling around his mind all day long. “I’ve seen people react like that in the service,” JT said, “Reacting to loud noises, the fear…PTSD isn’t it?”

Gil studied him silently, “That’s not my place to say. Better head home, tomorrow will be an early start.” JT knew he was being dismissed, knew also inherently that Gil wanted to see his reaction for himself, and whatever he found in JT’s answers, the lieutenant was not getting him in trouble that night.

He left, a lot of thoughts on his mind.

_-_-_

JT got there before Bright the next day as usual, but for once, not by much time. Bright showed up, coming in with the same presence he always had, but there was something in his eyes that was different. One of the officers at the door said something to him and Bright gave a laugh that rang false. “Yep, super overreacted. I know,” he said, laughing along with the cop, only JT could see even from across the room that it was fake. “I know!” He said louder so the rest could hear, “It was hilarious.” He waved his hands, the gesture big as always, as if he was performing. Then Bright went directly into the meeting room. JT got up immediately and followed him.

Malcolm’s eyes snapped up to him, “Very clever, detective, you got me,” he said, his tone still off. JT nodded.

“I did,” JT said, “I got off lucky. Dani would have clocked me for that one.” Malcolm raised an eyebrow.

“You would have done that prank on Dani?”

“No, man. I would have done a prank on Dani, but I try to make it fit each person.” He walked over, “Do them every year.”

“You do pranks on people every year?” Malcolm asked.

“You just repeating back what I say today?”

Malcolm shut his mouth as if he could not physically answer without repeating it.

“Yeah, Halloween tradition around here. You’ll have to start working on one for next year.”

“Next year?” Malcolm said, then seemed to realize he repeated it and shut his mouth again.

JT nodded, and took his seat, opening the file for the case. By the time Dani and Gil came in few minutes later, Bright’s whole air changed. He was back to his normal level of annoying, no longer portraying the fake playing along humor from before. He started his profile, joked with Dani, and smiled at Gil. He seemed back to normal.

When Bright headed out of the room, chatting with Gil. JT followed slightly behind, listening while pretending to be occupied with the case file.

“Apparently it’s team bonding,” Malcolm was explaining to Gil, as if Gil had been the one that did not know that. “And JT said I should join in next year.” He gave that shit eating grin of his to the older detective. “He likes me now. He expects me to be here next year.”

Gil laughed warmly and squeezed the back of the profiler’s neck.

JT headed over to his desk and Dani joined him, lightly punched his shoulder. “How did you do it?”

“Do what?”

Dani gave him a look, “You know what. Get him back to normal.”

“Dani, that man is never normal,”

**Author's Note:**

> Malcolm has complex PTSD. If you want to learn more about this condition, check out the National Institute of Mental Health  
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/index.shtml


End file.
